The FIP has published its World Padel Report 2026, and the numbers point to a sport that is still growing fast. The report counts more than 91,200 padel courts worldwide, nearly 14,000 more than a year earlier (+20.4%), and 3,890 more clubs than in the 2025 edition. Padel is now played in 191 countries and independent territories, 21 more than last year
For the first time, the report includes an economic impact study carried out with OpenEconomics. It puts padel's contribution to global GDP at €8.6 billion, with every euro spent on the sport generating €1.26 in GDP. Annual spending in the industry comes to around €6.84 billion, economic output reaches €13.07 billion, and the sport supports more than 235,000 jobs. The study is based on five parameters: court rental value, facility construction, technical equipment, tournaments and total expenditure by country
The competition calendar is growing as well. The FIP held 290 tournaments in 50 countries in 2025, and 434 are confirmed for 2026 across 62 countries. The report covers the CUPRA FIP Tour, Qatar Airways Premier Padel, FIP Promises and FIP Beyond, and includes men's and women's ranking analysis with a focus on the Top 100 and Top 300, from player nationalities to average ages
FIP president Luigi Carraro said the report shows a global sport that keeps expanding. The full study can be downloaded from the FIP website, which also offers an interactive mini-site and a profile page for each affiliated federation
